2025 NHL Draft Notebook: Hagens, Frondell, Ravensbergen & More
We’re in full swing mode.
The calendar has flipped to November, and we’ve got a solid body of work when it comes to what we’ve seen through the first few months of the season — and more specifically, what we can start to expect out of the 2025 NHL Draft class. And, with the move from October, it’s time to unpack our NHL Draft Notebook to highlight what we’ve seen out of select prospects.
Welcome to our Notebook for October.
Kurban Limatov | D | MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL) | October 15, 2024
PRELIMINARY RANKING: NR
Scouting report by Jake Janso
Kurban Limatov is a physical defenseman with a deceptive offensive game. Limatov’s defensive play is highlighted by his ability to anticipate breakouts and step into them. He closes gaps early and establishes good body positioning, then uses either his long reach or strength to smother opponents and strip possession. He employs a similar tactic when defending rushes, initiating early contact with his stick before stepping in. Offensively, Limatov boasts smooth hands and good vision. He’s an average skater, but his ability to control his body in motion allows him to deceive pressure with feints and weight shifts, making him more elusive than he appears. He works best along the blue line but will join rushes if the opportunity arises, though this sometimes leads him to get caught too deep without the speed to recover. Limatov can occasionally get a bit lost in his own zone, usually when opponents are cycling faster than he can keep up. Under pressure in his own zone, Limatov’s decision-making becomes questionable; he has missed clearly open passes that would alleviate pressure and sometimes tries to get too fancy. These shortcomings make Limatov’s projectability harder to gauge. There are clear pros to his style, and I can envision him as a bottom-four, second-powerplay defenseman, but it will take some work. He should generate interest in the middle rounds of the 2025 draft, perhaps as early as the second.
Kashawn Aitcheson | D | Barrie Colts (OHL) | October 25, 2024
PRELIMINARY RANKING: 22
Scouting report by Mike Kennedy
Kashawn Aitcheson is a hard-nosed, two-way defenseman with good size and skating ability. He thrives as an agitator and seems to enjoy getting under the skin of his opponents. Aitcheson plays a very responsible defensive game and appears to be rounding out his play with more involvement in the offense. He put the puck on net frequently in this viewing and was rewarded for his efforts. His willingness to throw hits, block shots, and sacrifice his body to make plays is evident. He maintains strong body positioning to keep attackers to the outside and control space in his own end. Another element of his game that stands out is his motor; he seems able to log significant minutes in all situations and keeps up with the pace of play. I’d like to see Aitcheson work on his ability to bait opposing players into taking penalties against him, as he can sometimes be a little overzealous and put his team on the penalty kill. He’s an important player for Barrie, and if he can maintain his physicality while remaining disciplined, he will become even more effective as he develops. His game is trending in the right direction, and he projects to evolve into a reliable bottom-pairing, shutdown defenseman at the NHL level. It seems reasonable to suggest that he will be selected in the mid to later stages of the first round of the 2025 draft.
Anton Frondell | C | Djurgårdens IF (J20-Nationell) | October 19, 2024
PRELIMINARY RANKING: 4
Scouting report by Samuel Tirpak
Anton Frondell is a dual-threat, well-rounded forward who thrives in the net-front area, on the forecheck, and around the boards, where he uses his body and power to gain an advantage and get pucks into high-danger areas. What I like about him is his well-roundedness; he is a good shooter as well as a playmaker. He creates a lot on the forecheck, forcing defenders breaking out to make mistakes by being an intimidating presence, not afraid to get involved in the physical play if necessary, although it’s often not his primary way of creating pressure. In this game, Frondell did many good small things. It was a close game with a lot of back-and-forth action between the two sides, and he navigated that environment well. He forced a couple of big turnovers on the forecheck that led to scoring chances for his line. He was physically involved a few times, mainly in board battles in the offensive zone to maintain possession. He also scored a beautiful goal on a partial 2-on-1 breakaway, receiving a pass with his back to the net, turning around, and deking out the goaltender with a slick move. He played as a left winger in this game and throughout the season and would likely be a winger on the national team as well. That’s the best position for him, in my opinion, as he can utilize his skill set more effectively on the wing. I love Frondell’s straightforward nature; he moves the puck forward, creates scoring chances, and generates havoc without focusing on extra flair for highlight reels. This approach will serve him well in the NHL when he eventually gets there. While it’s too early to discuss a development plan, he’s already far along the curve, and after overcoming injury issues this summer, I wouldn’t be surprised if his game improves as we enter the new calendar year. He’s a top-5 candidate for the 2025 draft and someone I can see making an impact in the NHL as a modern-day power forward in a top-six role, playing in all situations.
James Hagens | C | Boston College (NCAA) | October 11, 2024
PRELIMINARY RANKING: 1
Scouting report by Kyle Pereira
James Hagens remains a high-end playmaker in his first NCAA action. He displayed flashes of excellent vision and timing with his passing ability, setting up four different scoring chances for teammates in this game. As a shooter, he was less impressive. He had four shot attempts at even strength, all from the perimeter, with three of them getting blocked. At times, he looked a bit uncomfortable, not commanding the puck as he has in previous viewings, particularly in how he positioned himself away from the puck. There were also several situations where he forced a pass when taking a shot would have been the better option. One notable instance happened in the third period when he received a pass in the low slot. Instead of shooting with a clear lane to the net, he passed it back to his teammate through layers of traffic, and it did not connect. The NCAA level is a different challenge, and it was his first game, but those mental errors were apparent. Transitionally, he was a focal point for the Boston College attack. He was involved frequently and was especially efficient at exiting the defensive zone and kick-starting the transition up ice. However, he struggled at times under pressure in the neutral zone when trying to gain the offensive zone, with seven entry fails on 21 attempts. Still, it was a very good start for the projected top pick in the 2025 draft. Where he impressed most was defensively. He played a key role in getting pucks out of the defensive zone and was crucial in forcing turnovers. He supported down low, read the play well, and picked off passes aimed at the slot. While he still cheated up the ice at times, he was far more efficient in his own end compared to last year. With more time to adjust to the NCAA level, Hagens will likely be even more efficient. He still projects as the top pick in the 2025 draft class with top-of-the-lineup potential.
Joshua Ravensbergen | G | Prince George Cougars (WHL) | October 16, 2024
PRELIMINARY RANKING: 66
Scouting report by David Phillips
Joshua Ravensbergen’s frame and exceptional speed in the crease are what bring him to the top of most goalie lists. It’s hard to find a big goaltender who moves with the accuracy and pace that Ravensbergen pulls off in his crease. He carries both of these traits and also has very good positioning skills. He stays square to shooters and controls his angles well. Additionally, I really liked what I saw from Ravensbergen in regard to his ability to read net-front threats. He understands where those threats are and challenges or backs off from the shot location accordingly to make a back-door save as easy as possible. However, Ravensbergen struggles with keeping pucks away from the slot. He doesn’t get his stick on many low pad shots and instead kicks pucks back into dangerous areas for attackers. Ravensbergen’s skill set makes him an asset on draft day, and his upside is tremendous. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ravensbergen go very high in the 2025 draft, and while I probably wouldn’t have him on my board until Day 2, I can absolutely see the upside in picking Ravensbergen in the first round.
Philippe Veilleux | C | Val-d’Or Foreurs (QMJHL) | October 5, 2024
PRELIMINARY RANKING: 68
Scouting report by Joey Fortin Boulay
Philippe Veilleux is a talented and shifty winger who demonstrates superior vision compared to his peers. He exits his own end successfully, escaping pressure with ease and quickly finding the open man to initiate breakouts. Proficient in transition, he creates with little space while in motion and delivers precise feeds to enter the offensive zone. He shows a lot of confidence and elusiveness with the puck, using delays and fakes while moving laterally, holding onto the puck until the last moment before feeding his teammate. He’s excellent at maintaining possession and extending zone time. A wonderful setup man, he gets to his spot off the wall and maneuvers from there, then activates to the middle when he sees an opportunity, putting pucks toward high-danger areas. He’s a dangerous player when he gets the puck to the middle, as he sells the shot extremely well to feed the one-timer off the flank accurately. He’s also menacing from the trailer spot with his quick release, which is not a particular strength but still forces defenders to respect it. Veilleux is quick on his feet and agile in all directions, showing solid support from his edges and scooting all over the ice. He uses spins and cuts in corners to dance around defenders and open outlet lanes. As fluid as he is, he lacks pull-away speed and can’t yet separate from defenders. His stride appears a bit wide, which may limit the strength from his legs. He quickly catches up to forecheck defenders when losing possession but lacks the size and strength to impose himself in battles and come out with the disc. He also doesn’t display the same vigor when backchecking and appears less motivated defensively. His intermittent pace and lack of intensity at times are concerning. Given his diminutive stature and defensive flaws, it’s hard to project him at the professional level, as he’s not as dominant as he could be. Because of his slow start this season, I’d rate him as a late fourth-round pick for now. He could rise in my rankings later in the season once he gets going because the talent is there — it’s not a question of if but when.
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